Greetings, my name is Sean and i am very new to raising chickens i picked up my first batch of 8 chickens in june, and a month later i picked up the second batch of of chicks, some of the breeds i am not 100% sure on, i am sure i have 2 blue Cochin, 2 australorps, 2 jersey giants, 1 silver laced Cochin, 3 buff orpingtons,1 white Cochin 2 new Hampshire reds 3 light brahma, 3 golden laced wyandotte 2 buff bramas, 2 lavender orpingtons 1 Plymouth rock 1 black ameraucana and one weird silver spangled hamberg rooster my cousin got out of the 50% off straight run bin, 1road island red and 1 welsummer also from the random 50% off bin at the hatchery, i happened to live like 25 mins away from Meyer hatchery in Ohio, and it's really fun to pick out the little random chickens from the half off bin inside there, but that's also how i ended up with i think 5 roosters, lol i am not sure if 29 hens is enough for 5 roosters though so i might have to find homes, and i do not want that little hamburg rooster to breed with anything lol I have lost two hens so far,one of the buff orpingtons was killed by a hawk,and another hen was injured by the ramp to the coop falling on her, she seemed okay for a few days but she eventually got very weak,and i just put her down so she didn't suffer anymore, i felt terrible i have since nailed the ram down too) I started wanting to raise chickens because i have Autism, and other social disabilities and i was very depressed and lonely, and i thought since chickens are social animals, maybe if i could raise them as friends, and interact socially with something without any pressure, so far it's been so great, i love my chickens, when i find my memory card again i will upload lots of pictures so you guys can see my flock thank you for letting me join your site, i think it's a great place for chicken people. Sean
Hi Sean!!! Welcome to the world of chickens! Make yourself at home here, and feel free to ask as many questions as you would like. Wow, you have a lot of chickens even with you being new to them. I started my flock with 4 chicks.
Hi Sean. It's a pleasure to meet you. Having animals around is a great source of comfort. It's also a great motivator for getting out of bed when you feel too depressed to do so on your own. Way back when I raised dogs and even though I wanted nothing to do with them during depression - they wouldn't back off. Sparkle used to jump on the bed and push her muzzle under my chin. Every time she swallowed it tickled my throat - when I couldn't tolerate any more of that, I would have to get up and take care of her. She was glad to see me when no one else was. Bit by bit, it helped me out of my depression. It would be wrong to give the impression she was cure-all. I did end up seeing a doctor and being put on an anti-depressant. But, it was Sparkle who got me out of bed so that I finally made an appointment. I'm glad your chickens are helping you. Welcome to Backyard chickens.
Welcome Sean! I am also getting chickens to help out as I am also disabled. I hope your flock brings you a lot of joy. Bet it's nice to be near a major hatchery to try so many cool breeds. (I am sooo jealous!) Can't wait to see pictures of your flock
Welcome to BYC, Sean. Glad you decided to join our flock. I'm sorry about the loss of your two chickens. It's always sad to lose some of our flock. You have quite a mix of breeds. I've had all of those breeds at one time or another over the past 50 years, although not so many varieties of each breed. Black Australorps are my favorite standard breed; very hardy, calm and gentle, and excellent layers of large, brown eggs. The Ameraucanas (actually ours are Easter Eggers rather than true Ameraucanas as true Ameraucanas lay only blue eggs) are my granddaughter's favorites. She loves the different colored eggs that they lay. You need to get rid of a couple of roosters as the recommended ration of hens to roosters is 10 to 1. An excess of roosters can be very hard on your hens, over-breeding them, biting and plucking feathers from their necks and backs, battering them, and potentially even seriously injuring them. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
Welcome to BYC Glad you joined our flock! I'm so sorry to hear about your losses I suffer from bouts of depression at times and I found hanging out with the flock relaxing and very enjoyable. I often sit down and just watch them go about their business, watch my broody hen with her chicks, listen to them chattering away and talk nonsense to them. It's a wonderful way to pass the time As is coming here and chatting with like-minded folks of course! Enjoy the site!
Thank you for welcoming me ,you guys are so nice. i guess it is a lot of chickens for my first time,i only wanted a set number but living close to the breeders it's difficult for me to keep my hands out of the half off bargain bin, i probably got 10 or 12 extra chickens that way, i was so new to having chicks about the second day i was holding and cuddling one of the chicks, and i was like "whats this bulge under her neck?!" and i called the breeders and was all like "my chick is sick or has a tumor or something,help!" and the breeder lady started laughing and said "oh no honey,that's it's crop she just ate a lot that's all,its perfectly normal" i felt silly hehe i will have to find homes for the extra roosters prolly, so if any of you lives in Ohio near me let me know,lol i suppose we could eat them but...they are so pretty i dunno if i can do it lol i could just build a rooster run out here someplace i have 25 acres,but the hawks would prolly get them, i don't think i can afford that much anti hawk netting how much time until they start sexually maturing and stuff ? i got them in june and july
Hello Sean and welcome to BYC! Yes, chickens are great for giving companionship, love and affection. My girls are love and lap hounds! I can't sit anywhere without a chicken wanting on my lap. LOL And they fight over who gets to sit closest to mommy!! If you have extra roos and want to try to rehome them, you might stop by your state thread and chat with your chicken neighbors. Maybe someone close by can take them....https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/12049/ohio-come-on-buckeyes-let-me-know-your-out-there And when you have 20 posts, you can place an ad in our Buy Sell and Trade section in hopes of finding them homes there...https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/16182/animals-in-need-of-free-re-homing Enjoy this new adventure you are on! There is lots to learn here and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!